Page 17 of The Bookworm and the Pegasus Tamer

“Meet me in the library after luncheon.” The whisper brushed against her skin, taking time to penetrate her mind.

By the time its meaning had sunk in, he had already released her, standing back and declaring she was ready to try on her own. Her wild attempt went so far off course that Phoebe almost fell over laughing, but Aurelia could only manage a weak smile. When she looked at the Earl, he gave her a significant look and a nod, and she nodded back, despite herself.

They needed to talk. And clearly they needed to create an opportunity to do so since it was surprisingly difficult to have a private conversation at a house party—something she probably should have realized given the number of people attending.

Her attempts at croquet only got worse after that, and she could sense Lucia’s frustration at not only being excluded from their trio but at having such a useless opponent into the bargain. By the time they finished on the croquet lawns and all strolled up to the house for luncheon, Aurelia’s nerves were frayed almost to breaking.

To her relief, the Earl excused himself from the meal, carrying a plate away with him and using the convenient excuse of business. For all Aurelia knew, he truly did have business on the estate to occupy him. But she suspected he was also taking the opportunity to shake off anyone who might try to stick close to him after the meal. Unlike Aurelia, he was in high demand among the guests.

When the interminable meal finally ended, Aurelia was relieved to see her mother head into the gardens for a walk with the Marchioness. Watching them go, Aurelia managed a small smile. Her mother seemed to be having an excellent time.

But as soon as her mother was safely out of the building, she hurried in the direction of the library, watching carefully for any sign of other young people. After nearly running into Lucia in the entryway, she made a last-minute change of route and reached the library alone.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she slipped inside. In defiance of all her internal lectures about caution, she was unable to help a thrill at the meeting. Despite the presence of higher born and more sophisticated girls, the handsome earl wanted to meet with her.

She stepped inside, a smile already on her lips, only to catch sight of Phoebe. The smile faltered and slipped before she managed to paste it back into place. Of course Phoebe was there as well. It wasn’t a romantic assignation, and the Earl wouldn’t be so lost to propriety as to meet her totally alone.

The Earl stepped forward, and the sight of him reminded her how foolish she had grown after only a morning spent in his company. He was handsome enough and well born enough to court any girl in the kingdom. He wasn’t interested in her.

“I’m sorry to have brought you here for a house party only to ask for something else,” he said. “But I’m desperate, and you have the only new idea anyone has suggested.”

“You brought me here for the pegasus herd,” she said slowly, although it still made little sense to her.

He took several more steps in her direction. “Please won’t you help them?” He glanced toward Phoebe. “And us.”

Aurelia frowned. “But how can I be of help? Surely you have people better suited to searching for plants in the mountains than me. I don’t even know if such a plant exists, let alone what it looks like.”

He nodded. “I know. But you were the one to make the suggestion. You had the same basic information as everyone else, and yet you put it together in a new way. You’re a creative thinker. And I need every advantage I can get.”

Aurelia looked between him and Phoebe. “I don’t understand. Surely the king has better people to send with you than me.”

“Probably,” Phoebe said bluntly, and her brother shot her a reproving look.

Aurelia, however, smiled. She appreciated her friend’s honesty.

“But we need to be the ones to find the solution, not the king,” Phoebe declared matter-of-factly. “And while he has the royal medical team, the royal librarians, the pegasus grooms, and the royal guard, we have you.”

Aurelia’s eyes widened, and the Earl groaned.

“You’re going to scare her off putting it like that, Phoebe.” He looked back at Aurelia and grimaced. “But she’s not too far from the truth.”

“I still don’t understand,” she said slowly. “Of course I want to help the sick pegasi, and I believe you do too. But why does it have to be you that finds the solution to their illness?”

The Earl threw another look at Phoebe, and she sighed. “I’ve already told you. We can trust Aurelia. I’m sure of it.”

“I’m so used to not talking about it that it feels wrong,” he murmured. “But you’re right.” He drew a deep breath. “The truth, Aurelia, is that I’ve been breaking royal law for three years now.”

Despite the dramatic nature of his words, her attention settled on the way he’d said her name. It felt different without her title in front, no matter how small and insignificant a title. Had he dropped it because it was just the three of them? What would he do if she called him Danton in return?

“I told you she wouldn’t be so very shocked,” Phoebe said, and Aurelia raised her brows, forcing her mind to focus on his declaration.

“That depends on what law you’ve broken. If you’re about to confess that there are dead bodies buried beneath the floor, I’m going to run out of here screaming.”

Phoebe laughed but the Earl—Danton—only looked stricken. “Of course it’s nothing as serious as that. No one has been harmed. But there’s a reason I don’t usually invite anyone to my home. When no visitors are in residence, a pegasus lives in my stables.”

Aurelia sucked in a breath, finally feeling some of the shock he had clearly expected. “You’re bonded with a pegasus?”

He nodded. “Echo is…” He expelled a breath. “I could no more reject Echo than I could reject Phoebe.”